Gilas Pilipinas Draws Australia, NZ in FIBA Qualifiers

Gilas Pilipinas has been drawn into a challenging group alongside Australia, New Zealand and Guam for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.

The Philippines will compete in Group A, where it faces two of the region’s top-ranked teams and a rising Guam squad led by San Miguel guard Jericho Cruz.

Australia enters the qualifiers ranked No. 7 in the FIBA world rankings, while New Zealand sits at No. 22. The Philippines is currently ranked 34th, and Guam is at No. 88.

The draw was conducted Tuesday at the ALHAZM in Doha, Qatar—host of the 2027 FIBA World Cup—led by FIBA Global Ambassador and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.

The qualifiers will tip off in November 2025 and run through six windows until March 2027. The top three teams in each group will advance to the second round.

In the next round, 12 teams will be split into two groups. The top three from each group and the best fourth-placed team overall will punch their ticket to the World Cup.

Qatar, as host nation, has already secured an automatic berth to the tournament.

The Philippines is aiming to qualify for its fourth consecutive World Cup after appearances in 2014, 2019 and 2023.

Gilas will be looking to improve on past performances against regional rivals. Its last meeting with Australia in 2018 ended in a lopsided 89-53 loss, marred by a bench-clearing brawl that led to multiple player ejections.

However, Gilas found success against New Zealand more recently, edging out the Tall Blacks 93-89 in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers last year.

Before focusing on the World Cup, the national team will shift its attention to the FIBA Asia Cup in August, which will be hosted in Saudi Arabia.

The Philippines’ campaign in the World Cup qualifiers will be pivotal not only for its 2027 aspirations but also for maintaining its position as a regional basketball force.